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The Big Picture- My First Year Chemistry Scope and Sequence
The Big Picture: General Chemistry I thought I’d start to dive into the big picture of what I implement in my classroom. I’ll start with General/Honors Chemistry, and next I’ll write about AP...
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Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe
How did someone figure that out? Can you explain to me why this happens? No matter the topic, individuals are always seeking information as they look to explain complex objects and theories. “Thing...
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Especially JCE: June 2016
It was a familiar childhood sound. You know that sound? A bin of Lego building blocks. You want that one particular piece. You rake through the pieces with both hands, searching. That noise. It was...
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Concept Mapping in Chemistry
It's been a few days since my summer break began. I have had a few days to decompress, relax, and think about my next post. I have been planning to write about concept mapping since the end of our...
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JCE 93.06 June 2016 Issue Highlights
Visualizations for Chemistry Teaching and LearningThe June 2016 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: visualizations...
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Summer Solstice Update on the Students' Progress through Our First Summer...
On June 20, 2016 at 6:34 P.M. E.S.T., our sun achieves the most northern point in its journey and stops. The summer solstice marks the moment when the sun stands still; a Latin derivative from the...
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AP Chemistry Post-Exam Activity: Coordination Compounds & Complex Ions
I published an article about an independent study unit I use with my AP Chemistry class two years ago, A guided group inquiry lesson on coordination compounds and complex ions. In the time since it was...
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Using Chemical Mysteries (in the IB) Chemistry Classroom
Inspired by Tom Kuntzleman*, I started using mysteries in my chemistry curriculum this past year. The first mystery I shared with my students was burning water. While my magician skills aren't perfect,...
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The Poisoner’s Handbook
In the June 6th, 2016 Chemical and Engineering News magazine put out by the American Chemical Society, C&EN talks with Deborah Blum, journalist and author: From the article’s description, ‘The...
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Creating New Opportunities for Professional Development
What do you do when you don’t have any local or affordable opportunities for professional development? This is the situation I found myself in this summer when I started looking for local professional...
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How do you Incorporate Equilibrium Into Your Curriculum?
Throughout the last ten years teaching both chemistry and Advanced Placement Chemistry I have realized that the concept of equilibrium does not receive enough attention in my first-year...
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The Big Picture - My AP Chemistry Scope and Sequence
This popped up on my Facebook feed the other day: To be 100% transparent, I was planning to write this post. In light of seeing requests like this on the interwebs, I hope this personal reflection...
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Chemical Mystery #7: Curious Cans
Chemical Mystery #7: Curious CansQ: Does an unopened can of soda pop float or sink in water?A: It depends!There are several factors involved in determining whether an unopened can of soda pop will...
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Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, by Timothy Caulfield
While I was teaching Introductory Chemistry years ago, the World News reported that the pretty actress Gwyneth Paltrow had shown up at a New York film premiere with odd circular hickeys on her...
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Punk Rock, Longboards and Mad Science
What am I doing to help kids achieve?How do I know when they are there?What is the evidence? It all started with a class my son and I took together at Marc Adams School of Woodworking. To make a long...
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Especially JCE: July 2016
Back to school time means back to lab time too. Students new to chemistry have a lot on their plates the first few labs—learning unfamiliar safety procedures, becoming accustomed to writing lab...
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Solution to Chemical Mystery #7: Curious Cans
In Chemical Mystery #7, a can of Coca-Cola was observed to sink in one container of water and yet float in another! This trick made use of the fact that the density of water changes with temperature....
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A Constructive Chemical Conversation, by Alison Grinthal, Wim L. Noorduin,...
The beautiful photographs in this publication just make you itch to go into the lab and try to reproduce them. The structures appear to be ideal for lawn ornaments - delicate, colorful and very...
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JCE 93.07 July 2016 Issue Highlights
Exploration of Instrument Design and PerformanceThe July 2016 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: cost-effective...
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NO MORE UNIT TESTS...What do you think?
My students are bright and motivated. Most work hard and prepare for class and tests. They perform extremely well on district-wide tests and my own classroom tests. However, I see real weaknesses on...
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